Developments in the balance of travel services – January 2019
22/03/2019 - Press Releases
Balance of travel services
Based on provisional data, in January 2019 the balance of travel services showed a surplus of €66 million, compared with a surplus of €14 million in January 2018. More specifically, travel receipts in January 2019 rose by 53.2% to €232 million, from €152 million in January 2018, while travel payments also increased by 20.4% (January 2019: €166 million, January 2018: €138 million). The rise in travel receipts is attributed to a 40.4% increase in average expenditure per trip, as well as to a rise of 9.4% in inbound traveller flows. Net receipts from travel services offset 3.0% of the goods deficit and accounted for 14.2% of total net receipts from services.
Travel receipts
In January 2019, as mentioned previously, travel receipts increased by 53.2% year-on-year. In more detail, receipts from residents of the EU28 rose by 37.2% to €120 million and receipts from outside the EU28 rose by 76.3% (January 2019: €112 million, January 2018: €63 million). The higher receipts from within the EU28 were due to increases in receipts from euro area residents by 26,8% to €70 million (January 2018: €55 million) and in receipts from residents of non-euro area EU28 countries by 55.1% to €50 million. Among major countries of origin, receipts from Germany rose by 26.7% to €25 million and receipts from France increased by 112.1% to €7 million. Receipts from the United Kingdom also increased, by 65.3% to €16 million. Turning to non-EU28 countries, receipts from Russia rose sharply to €7 million, whereas receipts from the United States rose by 22.1% to €13 million.
Inbound traveller flows (1)
The number of inbound visitors in January 2019 rose by 9.4% year-on-year to 660 thousand. Specifically, visitor flows through airports increased by 26.3%, while visitor flows through road border-crossing points increased by 5.9%. This increase in flows is attributed to higher visitor flows from both within the EU28 (up 3.5%) and outside the EU28 (up 18.7%). In greater detail, the number of visitors from the euro area increased by 7.6% to 176 thousand, while visitors from the non-euro area EU28 countries edged up by 0.3% (January 2019: 208 thousand, January 2018: 207 thousand). Specifically, the number of visitors from Germany increased by 10.0% to 68 thousand, while visitors from France increased by 46.5% to 11 thousand. Visitors from the United Kingdom also increased, by 9.6% to 38 thousand. Turning to non-EU28 countries, the number of visitors from Russia rose sharply to 10 thousand, while the number of visitors from the United States increased by 13.6% to 25 thousand.
Note: The next Press Release on “Developments in the balance of travel services” for February 2019 will be published on 22 April 2019.
(1) Inbound traveller flows exclude cruise passengers (other than those recorded in the Border Survey).
Related link: Developments in the balance of travel services – January 2019 -Table